Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-02-10

stripes upon the bare back.
The substitute for the amendment was
then carried, after several motions TO
table and reconsider
President Wheeler then put the bill es
amended to vote on its passage to G
third reading. Then the novel situation
of the opponents Of the bill, Senators
Burgess, Camp, Houston, Pope, Upshaw
and Lane, refusing to vote when their
names were called, making one vote less
than quorum, looked like defeat 10 the
majority, but after several calls Of
the Senate and searching O.
rules to find & clause suitable to the I'M
lookedfor state Of sff4iIs, Senator Lane
came to the conclusion that he was doing
! wrong in ObstruC'ing legislation, and cast
his vote against the bill, making the nee
essay number Of q quorum. The bill
then passed to its third reading and will
probably come up on its tiual passage to-
morrow, when another warm tine is eX-
pected.
The bill passed for its third reading by
the following vote: Yeas, Senators
Abecrombie, Allen, Burney, Calhoun,
Camp, Claiborne, Fields, Frank, Gregg,
Harrison, Jarvis, Knittle, Mcdonald,
Macmanus, Simkins, Terrell, Woods and
Woodward; nays, Senators Bell, Glass
cock and Lane.
| THE JUDGE WILLIS CASE.
When the special committee on the
Judge Willis case met this evening, let
ter from Judge Silas Hare to Judge Willis
was read By Major Walton, counsel for
Willis, in which Judge Hare stated in
substance that Mr.. Gass, one OF the spe-
cial sargeants-at-arms, sent to the Pan
handle to summon witnesses in the case,
had, while on the trsin en- route for Yer
non, informed him Judge Hare that he
| wv. ID. Gass) was theman who had hunt
ed up facts against Judge Willis, and
was instrumental in bringing up the
charges against Judge Willis, saying that
he knew that nothing could be made of
the present charges, but that he was 60
ing up in the Panhandle to hunt up proof
! that would show that Judge Willis was in
collision with Charles Goodnight. Major
! Walton asked the committee to at once
recall Mr.. GasS and deal with him as they
thought best.
Acknowledgement Hogg said while he
was willing that Mr.. Gass, if the facts
were proved to be true, should be dealt
with and Gisgrsced, as his action would
be more injurious to the state than the
defendant, and when the proper time
came ne would urge as strongly as the
defense his dismissal and disgrace, but
he WaS not prepared to condemn Mr..
GasS unheard. He would Join the de-
fendant's counsel in asking that no more
processes be placed in Mr. Gass' hanGs
until the facts are learned.
Major Walton then asked that the
Attorney General be required to state
what be expected to prove by the wit
MISSES sent for in the Panhandle.
The committee refused to entertain
Walton's request. 1t was then arranged
that the defendants witnesses could be
examined while waiting for witnesses for
the prosecution
Judge Willis was then sworn and testi-
fled in substance the same as the matter set
out in his published answer to the charges
as they appeared in print some time
past. He acknowledged that the grand
Jury who had been drawn by the Jury
commissioners for the term of the court
held by him in July, 1886, were impanneled
and charged by him at the January term, |
in 1856; that Charles Goodnight was fore
man, and that ee received their bills when |
returned by them. He did not remember |
whether the cases were dOcketed then or
atterward. He didrOt know that any of the |
grand Jury had indicted themselves at |
that term because he handed the bills to |
the Clerk without examining them. He !
aid not know at the July term that ary |
investigation into Illegal land Enclosures !
would be made at the January tenn !
Charles Goodnight, as foreman, sigued |
al the indictments against himself and |
others indicted at the same time. DIS
trict Attorney W0odman came to
him during the term of court at which |
these indictments were found, and asked
If the foreman CT 3 grand jury could sign
bills against himself. told him he could |
sign them himself if he wanted to. did
not know then that the grand jury would
indict Goodnight, nor that ne had vio-
lated the Enclosure act. Goodnight was
put on bail before ne. w. II.
Woodman was prosecuting attorney
Goodnight had John Browning, G. A.
Brown and Mr.. Ridgeley as counsel.
The petit jury that tried this case was
also drawn st the previous July term
The state and defendant accepted the
jury, no challenges were made. | did
not know that any of the Jurors were in
Goodnight's employment. l do not
know it now. l did not know
that others indicted in similar cases sat
on Goodnight's jury. l could not pass on
the competency of jurors when no chal-
lenges were made. l saw no Juror l
thought incompetent; if l had / could
have done nothing unless he was chal-
enged.
Pending Judge Willis examination the
committee adjourned until 2:3O O'Clock
a the afternoon.
PROHIBITION.
Senator Houston's report for the COM
nittee on constitutional amendments,
'avoring the House joint resolution to
submit the question of prohibition to
vote of the people. foreshadows the a0op-
Ion OF the resolution by the Senate. It
seemed to be tacitly understood by the
members from the beginning of the ses ;
sion that the people should be given
;hance to settle the question at the oal-
OF box.
CONVICT LABOR.
The old but unsettled questions relat- /
ng to the management of penitentiary {
;onvicts is always presenting new fea- I
ures for legislation. '
Senator Fields proposes in bill intro /
iuced to provide for the efficient manage
anraA st